Westgate Downtown
by KingWhaza
Summary: Another story for the D&D Shadowlands Campaign every sunday, GMed by Mecha GM, this focuses on the law enforcement in Westgate. Enjoy!


"Westgate, the city I loathe, the city I love. Things where different before the Drow arrived. Lords and masters. Let me paint a picture of a city, a city I call home." - Sergeant Ludo Thaldeus of the Westgate city guard.

A lone human looked up from his position as two men walked towards the gate house. Two cloaked figures shouldered through he heavy rain, and darkness enveloped Westgate. It was quiet when the two men entered, the silence filled the room, and the three men sat down in the small room next to the gate. Slowly a gruff voice filled the room, as the biggest of the newcomers broke the silence. "So Hank, this is your new partner. He will be learning from you, he's fresh, don't spoil him too soon." Hank looked the other way, not content with the breaking in silence. "You know they'll get me for Lazin getting kicked from the group, they knew he was there with me, they'll blame me for that smuggling too!" The large man sighed. On his face was a strained look, he knew how grave things really where, even if he didn't want to. "We need to stick out for each other you know, as humans. Don't do anything stupid alright? Goes for you too Leodorf."

Cloaked the man walked back through the rain, when he suddenly jumps left into an alleyway, disappearing in the night. Behind him two more men followed, obviously stressed they were noticed. As the first man ran into the alleyway a dagger landed next to his throat and he was pushed into the wall. "Tell your friend to back off, or die!" The frightened man looked the other way, and realized his partner had run off. "Stop running sergeant, you'll never leave us behind, your precious group will find out what you rea..." Before he could finish he realized he could no longer talk, his voice dieing in his throat, and he died with it, seeing the blood dropping on his clothes.

"Welcome back, sergeant Thaldeus." Looking over his shoulder, the large human looked at the Drow, his hand on his dagger. The Drow looked at the man, his rapier aimed for the chest. "Yes, we've found your little home. It is quite nice here, it helps you do not have," he looked around during an awkward pause "any relatives... Or should I say any ties in general? Father of the guard?" Thaldeus just growled at him, knowing he would be able to survive if they fought. "You know, the Thieves Guild would like the story. The unyielding sergeant, in debt to a crime syndicate that has ties with the rebellion against the Drow 'overlords'." Thaldeus looked back. "Lazin, nobody would trust you, you betrayed us. You helped them get their ingredients, and we have prove."

Laughing the Drow grabbed the man, larger than him. "You will not be able to bring your prove when you die!" As he lunged forward Thaldeus rolled forward, taking his dagger. He was in the disadvantage, unable to reach as far as his assailant. "Your just a guard, you might have better training, but have you ever killed a man with nothing but a rope, choking him before your very eyes!?" A laugh came from the Drow, who focused on the man, waiting to strike. "You are just a beast, the Lady might take a liking to your kind, you are not on our level." Lazin struck, aiming at the mans shoulder, it pierced right through. Grinning Thaldeus charged in, taking the rapier in his left hand as he pushed his dagger into Lazin his chest. "A beast at least is adept at murder." He spat on the corpse and pulled out the sword, his house was comprised for tonight he had to hide and only one place worked, The Iron Cauldron.

As he walked in the people looked at him, but he had been busted up worse before. Silently he sat at the bar, wordlessly ordering a drink. The Dragonborn next to him grinned and they kept quiet. Drinking his grog in one gulp, Thaldeus asked for a second. "So, being a guard works out hmm?" The Dragonborn said, directly looking at the wound. "Well they say that good work is worth some scars." The silence returned as the two looked forward, Horace looking at them with a faint smile. "Well who would've though we would ever meet again, like this even, a bartender, a married leader and a wounded guard." Thaldeus just laughed loudly, like a man who just realized that his existence was a joke. "You got married?! That is the worst joke for today, and today was very funny." The three of them just laughed, staring into distance. No words were spoken, a silence stayed over the bar, as people just look at their drinks. As the gloom of day above the city, they sat there, silent. "So you're gonna get that wound checked?" "Yes." "So you're gonna get your mind checked?" "Why?" "You're married." The banter traveled around, and they where talking like they never left.

Elsewhere in the city, three men met. "Pete, what would you say, should we trust this so-called officer?" The hall was covered in a shade of darkness, with a human in binds, and another man holding him down. "Boss, why did we both come here, this is dangerous." The man who was called boss got down and walked towards the slight beam of light where the humans where, he stayed safely in the shades. "This is special, the captain here is our friend, is he not?" The Captain just looked away, even when the Drow who seemed to the more talkative of the captures hunched down, mocking him. "We had a deal!" The Captain spat out, angered by his weakness. "You broke the deal when you did nothing against our... opposition." People who were questioned said they heard screams, and the howls of dogs, but all of them agreed on one thing, there where not from this world.

Pridwyn called in her new Captain of the guard. "It seems I made a mistake with your predecessor. You better not disappoint me like he did." Helios Lightstrider, the only man who gained from this madness gained his promotion over Confidence. While nobody could read his face from under his mask, it was still a blank state, as Helios got burned in the most literal sense, after being branded a traitor in the rebellion for saving a Drow from certain dead, his life had been a strange one.

Hank looked outside and looked at his partner. "Them." Confused Leodorf looked at him. "Who do you mean?" Angered Hank shook his head. "Demons, they make my life hell, they make me do this day by day by day!" Life was hard for Hank. "You used to be a hero! What did happen to you? You fought alongside the best, even Pridwyn was impressed with your abilities, she did not give you that position for nothing." Hank looked, his look was one of a man not tired of the night, but of life itself. "I had it all didn't I? Well, I lost the only thing that mattered, a reason to keep going."

"Some live, some die. Some fight, some lose." Horace said, and with those words stood up and grabbed Ludo by his good shoulder. "Let's get you some help, sergeant." And so is life in the city, some will say this is a dark time but those that lived in the darkness can tell you one thing, you can only see the stars when it's dark.


End file.
